Force-cup.



C. HUH.

F0 CU APPLICATION FILED 1912.

1, 180,323. Patented Apr. 25, 1916.

imme-Mao 5 mm VHJOL 'rnE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co WASHINGTON. 0. c4

CHARLES r. SCI-IUH, or NEWARK, ivnw messy.

FORGE-our.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 25, 1916.

Application filed November 1, 1912. Serial No. 729,098.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES F. SOHUH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented. certain new and useful Improvements in Force-Cups, of which the following isa full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates to force cups, $110 as are used for clearing obstructions from drain pipes, etc., by suddenly exerting a pressure on the trapped body of water.

According to the present invention, improved means is provided for compressing the cup, whereby agreater compression may be exerted on the body of water trapped within the cup.

It has heretofore been proposed to attach a handle to a force cup, with an interposed flat plate which bears equally upon the cup when compressed and tends to exert pressure on the confined water. In this prior construction, it is found that a considerable proportion of the force exerted is resisted in compressing the rubber of the cup without having any useful affect in expelling the water therefrom, but by means of the present improvement in the construction of the handle, the cup is practically reversed or turned inside out so that practically all of the water can be expelled therefrom, thus providing a greater force for removing the obstruction.

In the accompanying drawing, representing in cross-section a force cup made according to this invention, 1 represents the body of the cup composed of rubber molded to a general semi-spherical form and capable of compression in the usual manner.

2 is the bottom or edge having a configuration to fit the bowl in which the cup is to be used, and 3 represents a reinforcing wire. The body 1 is provided with an extension 4: which is inserted into a corresponding recess in a handle 5, or other suitable means may be used for attaching the center of the cup to the central lower end of the handle. The handle 5 is enlarged at its lower end and rounded as at 6, so that when pushed down into the cup, the latter will bend around the enlarged handle and double on itself, so that when the cup is compressed as far as possible it will practically be reversed, by reason of the progressive doubling over of the cup on itself as the handle ispushed into it. It will, of course, be understood that the rounded portion 6 of the handle is in practice proportioned with respect to the diameter and thickness of the cup so that when the handle is pushed in the interior of the cup will practically be filled, thus insuring that all of the water will be forced out. The reinforcing ring 3, which is continuous around the lower end of the cup serves to maintain a bottom at a fixed diameter and thereby assists the reversing ofthe cup by the handle, instead of stretching as might otherwise occur to such extent as to cause the cup to break.

By the foregoing construction, a force cup is provided which operates in a distinctly different manner from thoseheretofore proposed, in that the prior art devices have very little, if any, stretching tendency, and a considerable proportion of the force is used up in compressing the rubber itself thereby not only limiting the total amount of force which may be exerted, but neutralizing and wasting much of this force. With this invention, the cup by reason of the shape of the handle is reversed upon itself by a progressive folding over as the handle is pushed down so that when the handle is pushed as far as it will go the cup is practically reversed over the rounded end of the handle, thus expelling practically all of the water and with a single blow exerting a considerably greater force on the obstruction in the pipe than with a cup where only a lcilmited reciprocation of the handle can be ha Having thus described my invention,I declare that what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A force cup for clearing obstructed pipes and the like consisting of a hemispherical flexible cup and a centrally attached reversing handle, said handle being of predetermined less diameter than the In testimony whereof I afiiX my signaopening of the cup and having its operating ture in presence of two Witnesses.

surface reversely curved With respect to the external surface of the cup whereby to pro- CHARLES SCHUH' gressively reverse. the cup by rolling its eX- Witnesses: ternal surface on said curved operating J. S. VVoos'risn, surface as the handle 15 forced into the cup. G. N. KERR.

Copies 0! this patent may he obtained for-fiveventseach byhaddressingthe (Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

